The Guardian, in a review of A Time of Angels, wrote "Schonstein's magical realism is dense with sensual imagery - taste, touch, smell, shimmering visions. At first it is confusing to be recalled so insistently to the good things of life at the same time as being continuously reminded of horror and war; it seems almost shocking that Schonstein can list the ingredients of bostrengo - a delicious cake - and then, almost in the same breath, recount a massacre of children and old men.
However, this uneasy mixture is the whole point of Schonstein's narrative."[1]
^"A Time of Angels". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. 25 October 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2017. While many sweet details of community life and a meticulous, respectful attention to the skills of all trades brighten the novel, the themes and language are familiar; the conclusion brings together many elements of the characters' fates but fails to imbue them with meaning.
^"A Time of Angels". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. 1 October 2004. Retrieved 29 January 2017. An agreeable confection. Enjoy it for its glittering artifice, but don't look for depth.